Yoga gave me my life back, it transformed and healed my knee. If yoga could do this for me, I asked myself, how can I utilize yoga to do the same for others. How can I share what I learned to help my community heal, and reclaim parts of their lives that may have physically stopped them from enjoying the activities they love.
I chose yoga because Heart disease is the leading cause of death for black men and women. Heart disease is responsible for 1 in 3 deaths among black women, and accounts for 1 in every 4 among men. Factors such as social determinants of health, high blood pressure, stress, smoking, obesity and diabetes increase the risk, and contribute to this disparity. I chose yoga because of the direct impact yoga can have on decreasing these factors. Knowing that stress is directly correlated to heart health, and that one of the benefits of yoga is to decrease stress, I choose yoga.
Yoga provides a space for healing, self-care, empowerment and community building in the BIPOC community. It can be a tool for reclaiming our health; providing our youth with healthy outlets for regulating emotions; and saving lives.
It’s personal for me; having had family members with diabetes, high blood pressure, and other risk factors; I’ve seen it take my family members away. I’ve seen it take community members from their families. It is time to change the narrative around Mental health and I chose yoga to help me do so.
Intentional
Transformative
Reclaim
Empowerment
Community
Akeem is the epitome of integrity

"Akeem is very eager to share the gift of yoga in such a positive way. He is knowledgeable, patient, and understanding.

An amazing balance of inward thought and outward movement/challenge. Best of both worlds!

Akeem is all things awesome and sunshine! He is a wonderful yoga instructor, knowledgable, great flow and extremely welcoming and kind. He has his own unique twist that you wont find in any other instructor. Everyone needs to try an Akeem class!

Attended one of Akeem's Empower flow yoga sessions. It was definitely an invigorating session. Gave clear instructions on poses and modifications, was easy to follow.

Akeem is by far one of the most powerful and connecting yoga instructors I have ever met. He has a quiet control over the class while allowing each and every student to find their own energy in motion, bettering the class as a whole. You will leave his class with a new outlook on life and will always want to come back for more. He is genuine and caring and works to give every student an individual experience in growth both mentally and physically. I 100% recommend 🙂

Being someone who deals with anxiety everyday, this yoga session really helped me forget about my worries while I was there. I just let myself be in the moment and breathe slow. This is something I recommend all people should try if they want to exercise but also calm and ground themselves after a long day
Wendy H.